Editing Joe Diffie (section)

==Early life==
Joe Diffie was born into a musical family in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]], in 1958.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Caramanica |first1=Jon |title=Joe Diffie, Grammy-Winning Country Music Star, Dies at 61 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/arts/music/joe-diffie-dead-coronavirus.html |access-date=April 30, 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 30, 2020}}</ref> His first musical performance came at age 7, when he performed in "The Muffin Man".<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joe-diffie-mn0000787960/biography |title=Joe Diffie biography |access-date=July 19, 2010 |last=Huey |first=Steve |work=[[Allmusic]]}}</ref> Diffie's father, Joe R., played guitar and banjo, and his mother sang. Following in his father's footsteps, Diffie began to sing at an early age, often listening to the albums in his father's record collection. Diffie has said that his "Mom and Dad claimed that [he] could sing harmony when [he] was three years old."<ref name="stambler">{{cite book|last1=Stambler|first1=Irwin|last2=Landon|first2=Grelun|title=Country Music: The Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d18K8QWcEo8C&q=%22joe+diffie%22&pg=PA133|year=2000|publisher=MacMillan|pages=133–135|isbn=9780312264871}}</ref> His family moved to [[San Antonio]], Texas, while he was in the first grade, and subsequently to [[Washington (state)|Washington]], where he attended fourth and fifth grades. Later, he moved to [[Whitehall, Wisconsin]] for the years he was in sixth grade and through his sophomore year of high school at [[Whitehall School District]] (WSD), and eventually moved back to Oklahoma, where he attended high school in [[Velma, Oklahoma|Velma]]. In his last two years in high school, Diffie played football, baseball, and golf in addition to running track; in his senior year, he was recognized as Best All-Around Male Athlete.<ref name="stambler" /> 

After graduating, he attended [[Cameron University]] in [[Lawton, Oklahoma]]. Although he initially earned credits toward medical school, he decided against a medical profession after marrying for the first time in 1977 and ultimately dropped out before graduation.<ref name="stambler" /> Diffie first worked in oil fields, then drove a truck that pumped concrete in the oilfield in [[Alice, Texas]], before he moved back to Duncan to work in a [[foundry]]. During this period, he worked as a musician on the side, first in a gospel group called Higher Purpose, and then in a bluegrass band called Special Edition.<ref name="stambler" /> Diffie then built a recording studio, began touring with Special Edition in adjacent states, and sent [[demo (music)|demonstration]] recordings to publishers in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]. [[Hank Thompson (musician)|Hank Thompson]] recorded Diffie's "Love on the Rocks", and [[Randy Travis]] put one of Diffie's songs on hold, but ultimately did not record it.<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="stambler" />

After the foundry closed in 1986, Diffie declared bankruptcy and sold the studio out of financial necessity. He also divorced his wife, who left with their two children. Diffie spent several months in a state of depression before deciding to move to [[Nashville, Tennessee]].<ref name="stambler"/> There, he took a job at [[Gibson Guitar Corporation]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7ccdAAAAIBAJ&pg=4695,2267203&dq=joe-diffie&hl=en|title=Diffie Turns Lost Job into New Career|date=January 13, 1991|work=[[The Victoria Advocate]]|access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref> While at Gibson, he contacted a songwriter and recorded more demos, including songs that would later be recorded by [[Ricky Van Shelton]], [[Billy Dean]], [[Alabama (band)|Alabama]], and [[the Forester Sisters]].<ref name="opry">{{cite web|url=http://www.opry.com/artists/d/Diffie_Joe.html|title=Opry Member: Joe Diffie|work=Opry.com|access-date=July 27, 2010|archive-date=July 2, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702082621/http://www.opry.com/artists/d/Diffie_Joe.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> By mid-1989, he quit working at the company  to record demos full-time. Diffie also met Debbie, who later became his second wife. That same year, Diffie was contacted by [[Bob Montgomery (songwriter)|Bob Montgomery]], a songwriter and record producer known for working with [[Buddy Holly]].<ref name="kings"/> Montgomery, who was then the vice president of [[A&R]] at [[Epic Records]], said that he wanted to sign Diffie to a contract with the label, but had to put the singer on hold for a year.<ref name="stambler" /> In the meantime, [[Holly Dunn]] released "[[There Goes My Heart Again]]", which Diffie co-wrote and sang the backing vocals.<ref name="allmusic" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UDkgAAAAIBAJ&pg=7060,6118723&dq=joe-diffie&hl=en|title=Joe Diffie's Loss Was Joe Diffie's Gain|last=Sharpe|first=Jerry|date=November 24, 1990|work=[[The Pittsburgh Press]]|access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref> Following this song's chart success, Diffie signed with Epic in early 1990.<ref name="whitburn" />